TIME FOR A NEW JULEP UN-BOXING!

I've been a Julep Maven or member for almost 2 years now and there have been a few ups & downs with the program for me. I haven't always liked the choices that were offered for the month or I just felt that it was the value wasn't there, but there's one thing they've always had and that is quality!

When it comes to beauty subscription services these days especially, the quality can definitely be sub-par at best- yet I've never had that issue with Julep's service and products. When I did have a couple of minor billing issues in the past, the customer service that I came in contact with provided excellent assistance in actually getting my issue quickly resolved. A great example of Julep's quality can be found in their polishes: once applied with even one coat, it will last a week or longer!

They constantly churn out new items as well, which means you have makeup and skincare options like the new Creme-to-Powder Eyeshadow Stick that came in my October Maven box. There have been improvements too on the amount of customization you can achieve for your monthly order, in addition to the wider range of add-ons that can be ordered with your month's box.

Julep does tend to listen to its customer and make adjustments, which is why you can now "skip-the-month" instead of getting automatically billed and sent a Maven Box that you simply may not want or you don't have the funds available in your budget that particular month. The shipment times have gotten better, however I do think that this could still be improved upon as it still can take up to 2 weeks for the local Post Office to complete the delivery of my package once it's been sent via Fed-Ex surepost.

This may be an economical way to send our shipments, but it's not necessarily the fastest. All-in-all, I would say that I'm fairly happy that I've stayed with Julep and remained a Maven because I really do LOVE the service- despite the small couple of drawbacks that it has. I admit that I look forward to getting to pick out my monthly box and waiting for it to arrive- it's almost like having a birthday present sent to your doorstep every month ;)

THE VERDICT:

Joceylyn- Classic with a Twist nail polish

I really liked my Maven box this month as all of the products were either items that I'd wanted to snag for some time or it was a new product that I was excited about giving out a try. The Jocelyn nail polish was a new color for the newly introduced October collection and although it wasn't set to originally come in my box, I swapped out this item and chose this polish as it looked gorgeous. I was right at this assumption as it's even prettier in person and the picture doesn't do it much justice! It's a Cranberry shimmer with holographic microglitter and this is what makes it catch the light in a really unique yet pretty way- even though it's a deep, richer color.

Autumn- Boho Glam nail polish

If Jocelyn isn't much to your liking, you may like something with a little more fun and seasonal feel- that's what you'll get with the Autumn nail polish. This is a color that Julep has dubbed as a "back-from-the-vault color, which means that it was a previously released and normally quite popular item that they've brought back for a limited time :) I always wanted to give this particular nail polish a try as it just seems fun and is very appropriately named Autumn as it does remind me of the Fall season. The burn red/orange multidimensional glitter is a little on the glitz and glam side of the spectrum, but I don't mind- we miss out on the beautiful Fall foliage almost every year here in Texas. It's nice to be able to wear something that is a such a fun reminder of the season :)

Nicola- It Girl nail polish

The add-on that I chose for this month's Maven box is not something that I normally do. I usually don't choose to add any additional products, but I really couldn't resist the Nicola nail polish. Thus far, I haven't scored any of Julep's glow-in-the-dark items and I thought it would be the perfect chance to try one out since Holloween is just around the corner! What's neat about this polish, is that the visible color is a light orange iridescent microglitter top coat that can even be charged up in the light for maximum glow-in-the-dark power! This means that you can still be a little bit silly, but be a little more on the muted-side during the day as it appears as an unobtrusive color!

Last but certainly not least, I wanted to share my thoughts about one of Julep's newest makeup additions to their lineup: I was a bit hesitant that I would like this product. Not because of it being a new venture for Julep, but because of my past experiences with similar products. Many times the attempt at a creme-to-powder eyes-shadow product-especially one in a stick application method, are likely to fall short. I have found that they can be dry, don't work that well, crease, and don't usually have the same lasting power as their powder or cream shadow cousins!

Collection of Eyeshaodw 101

Julep did an excellent job of avoiding all of these issues and the color bronze shimmer that I chose, was the perfect color as it's goes with almost any outfit or look. It's super easy to use and you don't even need to twist up the product as just the right amount is available right from the start. The formula really does feel and go on like a creme, but turns into a regular powder shadow once it's applied. It's very blendable and although there is quite a bit of shimmer, the nice pigmentation allows for you to control how much or little of the product you want.

When it comes to creasing, there wasn't any to speak of and that was something that impressed me- I have trouble achieving no creasing as the day rolls on with regular eye-shadows on occasion. As for the nice little touches in the box that I enjoy as well, there was small package of candy-corn candies that I wish had been a tad larger in size as I happen to like them ;) I am usually not much of a fan of candy in general, but I do have a couple of fav's that I will have around the holidays. I LOVED the included quote from Marilyn Monroe, " I told you I'd be ready in five minutes. Stop calling me every half hour." This came on the front of the shadow product and how-to guide and I thought it was a nice touch to the overall feel of the box :)

I'm not sure that I will use the 30% OFF code for my next entire order at regular pricing as I'm a Maven and can get a fairly decent deal without the code. Plus, most of the items like the new Mystery Box and sale products aren't allowed to be used in combination with this promo code, which means I may not use it. This does have TWO uses per customer as well and if anyone would like to snag a great 30% OFF on their next Julep purchase, please let me know and I will gladly send you the coupon code. If you want to score my coupon code, please send me a DM to my Twitter account @ladybuggirlqtee! The offer expires on November 30th, 2015 which means that once someone snags this, it will be gone!